Improvement in sickle-guards for harvesters



`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW SHOGREN, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,957, dated August 2, 1859.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ANDREW SHOGREN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gutter-Guards and Fastenings for the Same in Reaping and Mowing Machiues; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a top view, and Fig. 2 a side view.

Letter A represents a section of an iron plate or shoe on the front of the nger bar or arm; B, guard-socket; U, cutter-guard; D, cuneii'orm-bolt. The dotted lines a a indicate the shape of' the piercing of the iron plate; b b, the piercing of the socket. o c represent shoulder on cutter-guard, being the same in all of the figures.

My invention consists in certain improvements in the guard or finger of reaping or mowing machines, as will be hereinafter described.

1constructacutter-guard,C, for reaping and mowing machines ot' steel, in the form of a spear-head, commencing at a point and increasing in width toward the heel, the bars separating at the point on the upper side, and on the lower a short distance back, giving the guard a slant and the sides an inclined position, and in bringing them nearly together on curved lines at the heel, and in having the outer edge sickled, with the inner at an angle sharp enough to cut any substance which may be drawn in under the sickle and allow it to pass out at the bottom, and in constructing a socket-guard, B, to iit the outer curve of the base or heel and bolt D, with a wedge-shaped head iitting the inner curve of the cutterguard, by means of which the cutter-guard is firmly attached to the finger bar or arm of the machine, which, with the form of the guard, leaves it fieXible, and not liable to accident from breakage or displacement.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my sickle cutter-guard C of steel, and usually about six inches in length from the socket B; but the length may be varied to suit the kind ot' sickle used, commencing at a point, which point is sloped from the upper to the under side. It is constructed in two bars which diverge f'or about ve inches, when they are about two and one-half inches apart on the upper side, at which point they are made to converge on a curve till the ends of the bars are brought nearly together. I then make a guard-socket, B, which is fitted to the base or heel of the cutter-guard C, as shown by the dotted lines b b. The cutter-guard, with the socket, is then attached to an iron plate, A, which runs the whole length of' an ordinary finger bar or arm, which plate is perforated for the insertion of guards, as shown by the dotted lines a a, when the whole is held in place by a cunit'orm bolt, D, which is fitted to the inner curve of the cutter-guard and drawn in by a nut at the back of the finger bar or arm, and the shoulders c c ou the cutter-guard prevent its being drawn in too f'ar, by which arrangementthe cutter-guard is easily adjusted or renewed and held firmly in place.

This device is for the under portion of thesickle-guard. Any ordinary guard can be used for the upper portion tokeep the sicklein place.

What l claim as my invention,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The cutter-guard G, constructed in the manner described, in combination with the guardsocket B and wedge-shaped bolt D, substantially as described.

ANDREW SHOGREN.

Witnesses:

L. L. BOND, J. GLoUGH HAINEs. 

